Multiple-car dumb-waiter system



1945- LE ROY H. KIESLING MULTIPLE-CAR 'DUMBWAITER SYSTEM Filed Nov. 2, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet l -IINIVENT 3R= L-H- mm, Kai w MM/l ATTORNEYS Feb. 27, 1945. LE ROY H.' KIESLING MULTIPLE-CAR DUMBWAITER SYSTEM Filed Nov. 2, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY momwm Kmu qa avfibll ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 27, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MULTIPLE-OAR DUMB-WAITER SYSTEM Le Roy H. Kiesling, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application November 2, 1943, Serial No. 508,715

4 Claims.

This invention is a multiple-car dumbwaiter system, that is to say, a hoist or elevator system with an endless train of cars, adapted more especially for the carrying or transfer of goods be-' tween lower and higher stations or landings, usually from floor to floor of a building, or between two or more successive decks of a ship wherein the system may be used for the stowing of ammunition or other articles and their subsequent elevation thereof to a desired level at or between decks. The invention is illustratively embodied in a power driven system wherein, within a hoistway, trunk or shaft a plural series of cars travels successively around a travel path or orbit in an intermittent or step-by-step manner, so that access may be had at each station or level to each car or dumbwaiter.

It is of course long well known to operate an endless train of carriers around a closed path, such as buckets or other receptacles, for the conveying of various goods from one point to another either higher or lower, usually on an incline; but a special problem is presented in providing a system of guided dumbwaiter cars connected and operated as a continuous succession and traveling for the most part in substantially vertical upward and downward stretches of advance; and no such practical system in past or prevailing use is known. The general object of the present invention therefore is to provide a multiple car dumbwaiter system. with one-way car travel around a closed orbit, which is of effective and convenient utility for the purposes and field mentioned. A particular object is to afford a dumbwaiter system with improved capacity in the handling, shifting and transferring of goods, with minimum delays therein and possessing substantially the compactness of an ordinary dumbwaiter system along with the increased service of an endless conveyor system. Another advantage of such a sys* tem is that by equal spacing of the cars no counterweights are needed, the cars at one side balancing those at the opposite side. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out in the hereinafter following description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention or will be understood by those conversant with the subject.

To the attainment of such objects and advantages the present invention consists in the novel dumbwaiter system and the novel features of operation, combination, arrangement, construction and detail herein illustrated or described.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a left elevation of a. multiple-car dumbwaiter system embodying the present invention, taken partly in vertical section on the section line l| of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation view of the system of Fig. 1, with the enclosing housing or trunk cut away between its upper and lower parts to disclose th structure within.

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of certain details of structure, taken partly in horizontal section on the section line 3-3 of Fi 2.

Fig. 4 is asimilar top view of certain other details taken partly in section on the horizontal line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the structure of a dumbwaiter car adapted to use in the system hereof.

Fig.6 is a perspective view of the system shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the trunk or housing largely cut away to show the interior, and with the several cars omitted excepting as to the traveling shoes thereof; also with the brackets omitted that support the guide rails, and with the operating chains and sprockets shown only diagrammatically by dot-and-dash lines.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view, partly in horizontal ection, showing a preferred method of mounting by brackets in the hoistway or trunk, the carguiding rails or tracks corresponding with Figs. 2, 3 and 4; and Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11 are similar views showing various modifications of such mounting structure.

Fig. 12 is similar to Fig. l on a larger scale, and shows a modification with a supplemental guiding means to steady each car during its travel around between its front and back paths, the cars being omitted, and the view bein taken on the vertical section line l7.-l2 of Fig. 13; while Fig. 13 is a front elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 12; these views being broken away centrally for vertical condensation.

A conventional dumbwaiter car I5 is shown separately in Fig, 5 and partially illustrated in Fig. '3; while the left and front elevations, Figs. 1 and 2, show a series of four such cars in a continuous series or train, spaced apart in order to travel with suitable clearance around the orbit, the cars at the front side being indicated as traveling upwardly and those at the back traveling downwardly, along substantially vertical stretches of travel, with curved connecting stretches at the top and bottom, sufiicientl separated for the ascending and descending cars safely to clear each other. Each of the cars is guided and supported steadily in upright posture against tilting, and kept to the path or orbit without appreciable sway, as will be more fully described,

Each car I 5 is preferably closed both at its floor 16 and ceiling H, but otherwise it may be laterally open for inserting and removing goods in accordance with the particular service to be served. As an example the car I 5 is shown as being open at its front and its rear, but with its lateral sides closed, namely, by the left ear wall 18 and the'right wall (8'; the four walls l6, l1, l8 and IB' being suitably interconnected, preferably by welding. In order to confine the loaded goods against slipping out of the car or against the hoistway wall, preferably each opening, front and back, constituting a gateway, is closed by a suitable car gate, such for example as the collapsible type gate illustrated in my copending application, Serial No. 465,111, filed November 10, 1942, with which gate is combineda safety means by which electric power drive remains disconnected excepting when all car gates'a're properly closed.

To complete the description of theillustrated car -l5,the left and right side walls are shown as having their central portions-onset outwardly in a manner to form on each well] a vertically extending bulge or bay T9 or I 8' adapted to'accornmcdate certain parts tob'e described without interference with the 'loaded goods; and the wall of each bay is apertured at!!! 'for 'access to certain exterior parts as will next'b'e'described.

Forthepurpose of attachin 'ea'ch"car operativelyto the matched but offset carrier chains of the system to be describedand to guide otherwise the car it is provided with a set or guide shoes or slider members at theupper and-lower partsof the'leftand right sides, namely, an upper leftshoe 2|,an upper right-shoe'll', a lower left sheen and a lower right shoe 22', an adapted to "travel along certain fixed tracks o'rl'guide railsto be described; and, by a special arrangementtwo of the described guide'shoes are also driver'sho'es, being attached or coupled to the drive chainsafl or 80, to be described; the other twoshoes being idlersrcooperating in the guiding but notcaus- .ing the driving of the car.

The arrangement is essentially an alternate one in that the two driver 'shoes intheir locations on the car are diagonally opposite 'or staggered, these being illustrated as the lower left shoe 22 and the upper "right shoe 2|, while'the shoes 2| and 22' are idlers.

In structure, each of the four shoes is'shown as comprising several parts,'the first being a. base portion23, such as a substantially fiatplat'e'bearsteadiness tothe car inthem'ajorfpai'tof its movements around the endless o'rbit'of travel. A third part consists of a coupling meansbeing a swivel post -or pivot pin attachment zt'of'each driver shoe to the chain at that'side, both for guidance and drive as willbe explained.

"The distinction between'the dri'ver'shoes'22 and ll and the idler shoes 2! an'd22, is that theft)!- mer are herein utilized'toiprovide'the driving connections to the car 'fromthe' endless carrier chains to be described. It will thus be notedthat" sides of the car and at both the lower and upper ends of the car, greatly stabilizing its movements, and maintaining its upright posture, as will be further described, especially intraveling around the curved connecting paths atthe upper and lower parts of the travel orbit whereat the car is transferred or shifted irontwardly or rearwardly within the hoistway between its downward rear stretch and its upward front stretch of travel.

'The mode of operatively connecting each driving shoe 22 or ll of the car to the adjacent driving chain is best illustrated in Fig. 3. The shoe is shown rigidly attached and preferably welded to the bay l9 or IQ of the car side wall, and theshoe is centrally bored'with a horizontal post 26, or pivot pin, confined by athreaded member or nut 2'! engaged on the 'reduced-andthread- "ed inner end orshoulder of the swivel post o'rpin,

the'nut and an outer'flange 28 affording sufficient play for the bolt to rotate'or'swivel within the bo'reasnecessary during curved orarcuate travel. Outwardly the post or swivel pin is extendedto a suitable further distance, according to the spacing which exists'between' the positionsof the chain and'the shoe, andthere the boltis formed with an "end flange 29 which 'is "secured, preferably by 'Welding,to a complementary flange or plate 30 formed asa'part of one of a'number'oi special links'of the driving chain tobe described,

'system'and the mountings thereof, with'special supplemental features thereof, and finallythe chaindrive system andsupplementalfeatures in respect to the'guiding functions'tliereof.

The hoistway to contain the series of 'cars and the mechanism determining their upward, downward and lateral movements isshown provided in the form of asheet metal trunk 3|, which is a'tower-like structure sufiiciently tall to ac- 'commodate the two vertical stretches oi car travel'in compact juxtaposition. The top wall 32 of the trunk may be'openable for'purposes of lower front station ordoorway 38 to receivc a load; at the same time other cars 'standingat the other two doorways. On the next intermittent 'or'occas'ional operation the first'mentione'd car may rise from the lower front doorway to the upper front doorway, to be loade'd'or unloaded at ahigher floor or deck. With a verticallymore lengthene d'system there might be a'third fr'ont doorway for the next stop and more cars; but as'shown the next advance carries the car from the upper front doorway upwardly, curvedly aroundthe top-and'downwardly to a third point,

whereat no doorway is shown, but could be provided. By the next succeeding advance such car will reach the lower back doorway 31, where it may be partially loaded or unloaded before again advancing in the next step around underneath to the original landingpoint. While the power drive means might be reversible in order to changethe direction of movement, for example for loading the hold of a ship, this herein is not necessary since each of the several cars in succession will arrive at each of the doorways. stations or landing points throughout the system. The trunk front and back walls are shown as provided, at the lower edge of each doorway or station, with an outstanding lip or shelf 49, which may be alined or connected with the floor or deck constituting the landing at that point.

It is convenient for shipping and erecting purposes to provide the trunk 3|, not as a single tall housing or shaft, but rather in the form of separate upper and lower portions, adapted to be pre fitted with guide rails and other parts, transported thus, erected in vertical alinement at the building or ship, and the gap between'them preferably closed by the local application of intermediate plates around the four sides of the trunk. Thus in Fig. 6 are shown the upper section or so-called boot 4| of the trunk and thelower section or boot 42, with guide rail parts mounted therein, and with drive chain paths indicated; while Figs. 1 and 2 show the middle portion of the height of the hoistway as enclosed by 'surrounding wall plates 43. Attached to the trunk. for example tothe exterior of the right side wall 33 of the upper boot, is shown a shelf 44 con stituting a convenient support for a power driving means, consisting for example of a speed reducing gear or worm-and-wheel mechanism 45 receiving its drive through a power shaft 46 and in turn communicating the drive through a driving shaft 41 to the carrier chains and sprockets within the trunk.

Coming now to the fixed guiding means or trackage for guiding steadily the several cars around their endless path, this consists of a series of guide rails or tracks, designated generally at 5B in Fig. 7 and 50 to 50 on Figs. 8 to ll. and comprising a plurality of rail portions 5! to 58 as will be described more in detail. Referring first to Fig. '7 it is seen that each of the several car guiding means 50 is provided as a double guide device, having paired guide members, tracksor rails spaced apart correctly to receive between them the lefthand or righthand car shoes already described; although manifestly each shoe might be a split or divided member in which case a single rail could be employed to determine positively the path of shoe travel, Preferring the double rail construction, each of the rails of each pair is shown constructed of an angle iron shape 60, at least at the vertical or straight portions of the trackage. Thus, as seen in 7, each rail-pair provides an enclosed guide space within which each car shoe boss 24 travels, while the inner edges of the two angle irons 60 provide bearing surfaces upon which the base plate 23 of the shoe ma slide. Thus, considering that the guide rails are provided at both the left and right sides of the car path, each car is positively guided against sway or shift rightwardly or leftwardly, frontwardly or rear wardly, out of its true path.

The guide rail mountings may be as shown in Fig. 7, or in many equivalent ways, includ ing those shown in Figs. 8 to 11. In each rail device 50, each of the track members 60, in the form of an angle iron, is provided with an attaching flange 6|, shown parallel to the adja cent shaft wall, this flange being apertured to receive the mounting means or posts to be described. The rails may be hung or mounted at suitably spaced positions along the path, for example at three points at each side, as indicated in Fig. 2. Each mounting may be prearranged by providing a hanger plate or base 53 at each side to be attached or welded to the left wall 33 or right wall 33 of the trunk. The hanger plate 63 is shown elongated to give support to the guide rails both at the front and at th back at one side of the hoistway.

Referring to the specific structure, for each rail-pair the hanger plate is shown in Fig. 7 as provided with a pair of instanding posts 64 welded or attached to the plate. these being threaded to constitute rigid attaching bolts. Each of the two threaded posts is shown as carrying an outer nut 65 and an inner nut 66. The angle shapes 60 are engaged by their apertured flanges upon the respective'posts and are there secured by the two outs, this arrangement permitting an accurate adjustment of rail position in the process of erecting the system in its place of use. In order to hold more rigid and steady the posts and rails there is preferably included, and secured between the nuts 55 and 66, an arched bridge-piece or bar 61, apertured to engage the posts and extending across from one post to another, while'outwardly arched to accommodate the driving chains which are attached to certain of the car shoes. For fur ther rigidity the bridge bars 61 at the front and rear are shown as interconnected by a central extension 68; the two bridges and extension being preformed with the correct spacing required by the paths of the driving chains.

It will be convenient next to describe the modified trackage mountings of Figs. 8 to 11, each serving the same general purposes as that of Fig. '7. In Fig. 8 the threaded posts are dispensed with and a modified bridge piece 61 is secured directly to the hanger plate, this bent inwardly and having opposite flanges through. which are extended short bolts 64*, by which the rail flanges 6| are attached, through nuts 56 and with spacers or sleeves l0 interposed to predetermine the rail position. In Fig. 9 the posts 64 are threaded to receive two pairs of nuts, the inner .pair 65 and 56 securing the guide rail at each side, while a second pair of nuts 12 secures a steadying bridge bar 61'. In each of these cases a rigid structure is provided which affords the necessary space for the travel of the car shoes between the rail elements and the driving chains outwardly thereof.

In Fig. 10 the elongated bridge piece 6! is similar to that in Fig. '7. but havingoutward extensions or legs 14 attaching it to the hanger plate. The rail angle irons 6B are attached thereon similarly to Fig. 3, with spacers 10 to determine the rail position, and short bolts 64 passing through the bridge bar and spacers and the rail flanges, and secured by nuts 68. In Fig. 11, for each rail device 50 is shown a pair of threaded posts 64 carrying outer and inner securing nuts 65 and 56 with spacers Hi between the rail flanges and the flanges of a special bridge piece 16, formed as two angle pieces rigidly interconnected by a cross bolt 17. Each disclosed form'of mounting po sesses certain practical advantages by way of improved ease of erection or greater rigidity in use or simplicity and low cost of production.

The preferred arrangement of guide rails for the describedisuccecsion of cars,'- each. havingiat each 1 side an upper: and la lower ,guide shoe two i diagonally opposite ones of which are driving shoes connectedwith the driving chains at the left and right respectively, is shown in the-elevationviews Figs. l-and 2 with the aid of theperspective view of Fig. 6. Thedisclosed principles of trackage arrangement and operation are such as'to maintain each of the carstruly upright and properly in the'intended path'or orbit, not only during the rising stretch of travel at the front and the descending stretch at the back but in the curved or arcuate connecting or transition stretches of orbit at the top and bottom. In other words the traveling movements of the several cars are so conducted and governed that the cars not onlyclear each other safelyin their transfer from ascending to descending travel, but each car .retains its upright posture throughout its passage around the several stretches, affording a highly steady operation, free of tendency to tilt or swing out of posture orto sway or shift from the predetermined orbit.

With reference then to Figs. 1,2 and 6, along with Figs. 5 and 7, the illustrative arrangement of guide rails 50 may be described as follows. Near the front of theleft side the trunk carries interiorly a-pair of vertical rails 5| and 52, the former being designated an outer rail since the latter is disposed entirely inside the former. lAt the righthand. side isa similar rail-pair, with an outer rail 5| and an inner rail 52. These four rails extend vertically upwardly and each pair provides the-space for the upward travel of the two carshoes 2| and-22 at the left or 2| and-22 at the right. In describing the arrangement of the guide rails, the details as to the railflanges M and mountings thereof previously described shall be ignored, and each guide rail pair considered-merely as a double rail adapted for the guidance, in both ways described, of the car shoes adjacent to the paths of the drive chains. The attaching flanges 6| of the several rails are preferably confined to the straight vertical stretches, and from these the arcuate stretches are supported with sufiicient rigidity, the arcuate being preferably integral continuations of the straight stretches.

While the vertical stretches of rail-pairs 5|-52 and 5|'-52'.are in facing relation for themajor part of their extent, the outer rails ascend to a greater distance and higher elevation than the inner, the difference or offset corresponding with the vertical spacing between the car upper and lower shoes; and at the termination of the vertical stretches each of these four rails passes over and around an arcuate stretch, shown as the top are or arch 53 ofthe outer rail and top arc 54 of the inner rail, at the left side; and the corresponding arcuate sections 53' and 54 at the right side. When the two upper shoes of each car start around the arc sections 53 and 53' of the outer rails, the lower car shoes 22 and 22' start around the arc sections 54 and 54 of the inner rails. At the high point of travel of each car its four shoes will-be at'the high points respectively of the four arcuate sections, and in dotted lines .in Fig. 6 the four shoes ofa given car are indicated in this position. In a sense the guide space between the ascending stretches 5|--52 and 5|'-52' has to be flared or widenedout to permit the switching of the lowershoes from the vertical stretch inwardly around the arcuate stretch; :and this explains thevertical gaps or offsets between the arcuatestretches 53 and 53' above anditand .54 below. Frornthe moment the upper car shoespass abovethe junctions of the inner verticalstretches 52 .and .52 withthc arcuatestretches and 54', such upper shoes are without double guidance from the fixed rails, but herein are otherwise controlled for complete guidance as will be further explained.

Near the back of the trunk are'the outer and inner down-stretches 55 and'56 at theleft and 55 and 56' at the right, these constituting continuations of the top arcuate stretches already described, and serving to guide vertically downward both the lower and .upper shoes at the left and right sides of the car. Completing the circuit, the outer back rails 55 and 55' merge into bottom arcuate'rails51:and 51, which maybe simple inversionsof the structures of the top arcuate rails already described; and these bottom arcuate rails, where they are curved upwardly again at the front merge into and form continuations of the first-described vertical outer rail sections 5| andi5l' respectively. On the same principle the back inner rails 56 and 56' are continued into a .bottom arcuate stretch 58 at the left and ifliat theright, thus completing the inner portion of the continuous rail structure or circuit.

The bottom arcuate stretches 51 and 58 at the left are vertically separated or spaced by a distance corresponding tq'the vertical spacing of the car shoes, and the samewith the similar stretches 51' and 58 at the'right, in the manner already described inconnection with the top construction.

As thus far described each car is thoroughly controlled as to both its posture and its position during its orbitaltravel, with the exception of certain possible play or swing at points beyond the transition junctions, forwhich a practical prevention i herein provided. Such possible play or sway of a car does not refer to-any rightward or-leftward movement within the trunk because, as Fig. 7 shows, each car throughout its travel is held truly to its position in that sense bythe sliding of its baseplate 23 against the extreme edges of the outer as well as the inner guide rails. throughout the arcuate as well as the straight stretches; these parts being machinechand with small clearance for accurate movement, and the plate having ubstantial sliding area. The possible play of the car now in discussion refers to frontward or backward movement or swing of one end of the car; for example, when the upper car shoes 2| and 2| have risen above the commencement of the inner arcuate rails 54 and 54', such upper shoes are then guided only unilaterally by theouter rails 5| and 5|; and a similar action might tend to occur near the corresponding junctions or transition points at the back or at the bottom of the total orbit. This difficulty, which might allow the top or bottom end of the car to swing away from the longer outer rails 5| or 5| or rails 55 or 55 because of the local absence of an opposed inner rail, has with this invention been obviated by either one or both of two different means of prevention or control. the first means comprising the provision of certain supplemental guide rails, which for clearness will be termed guard rails, and the second comprising certain control and operation of the-driving chains, yetto be described, to afford a guiding function at the critical places.

This matter ofthe supplemental control of the car positionand. posture during transition around the ends of the orbit is related to the consideration already described that while there are upper and lower traveling shoes at both left and right sides of the car only a diagonal pair of these constitute driving shoes, namely, the lower left shoe 22 and the upper right shoe 2 l the remainmg two shoes being idler shoes, taking part only inthe guidance, not in the driving of the car. Bearing this in mind it will be clear from Fig. 6 that at the left side the driver shoe 22 passes around a half circle, corresponding with a guiding sprocket 82 to be described, adjacent to the arcuate guide stretch 54, while the left upper or idler shoe passes around at a higher point, adjacent to the arcuate stretch 53; while at the right hand side the arrangement is reversed in that the driver shoe 2| travels around the high arcuate stretch '53, guided both by this fixed guide and by the adjacent sprocket wheel 92, the lower or idler shoe at the right passing freely around adjacent to the inner arcuate stretch 54'.

, There is no difficulty as to the lower end of the car, in traversing the upper arcuate stretch, since the lower left guide shoe 22 is under full control of the double guide 52 up to the transition or tangency point, and therebeyond is under the full control of the sprocket wheel 82 guiding the chain to which the shoe is attached. On the other hand the upper end of the car is not so tho-roughly controlled, especially beyond the point where its upper shoes have passed above the commencement of the arcuate stretches 54--54' and until the right upper shoe comes under the control of the high sprocket wheel 82 at that side. This problem is substantially solved by the provision of a supplemental guard rail 52;r-54a;--56.r, shown at the left side only, where there is no sprocket wheel to cause conflict, and its stretch 52x acting to preclude rearward swing of the upper part of the car during the critical period mentioned, and later its stretch 56m precluding frontward swing when the car arrives at the symmetrically rearward position. This supplemental guard rail gives definite control of the car through the upper left idler shoe 2| as follows: The vertical stretch 52a: is at its lower end spaced away upwardly from the vertical stretch 52 by a distance or gap sufilcient to permit the lower left car shoe 22 to pass into and around its arcuate path, and fromthis point upwardly the stretch 52m gives positive control against rearward swing by confining the shoe 2| between rails 5| and 521:, and assists further in the accurate guiding of the upperleft shoe around its arcuate stretch 54m and downwardly along its back stretch 5611:, beyond which the shoe descends naturally into its guided position between the back rails 55 and 56. In this sense the front and back stretches 52a? and 56st of the supplemental guard rail are continuations of or correspond with the vertical left front and back rails 52 and 56; while its arcuate section 545B is similarly an inner rail and corresponds with the .top arcuate inner rail 54 already described.

By the supplemental guard rail contrivance thus described all possibility of objectionable sway or play of the car during transition from front toback at the top of its orbit is eliminated, with only the possible minor exception of the short vertical distance or gap between the lower ends of the top guard rail sections 520: and 55:2: and'the main inner rails 52 and 56 therebelow; and this possible residual objection is further eliminated by drive chain control as will be further described. At the lower end of the travel of each car, where it passes around from the descending rear stretches 55 and 56 at the left, and 55 and 56'. at the right, along the bottom arcuate stretches and thence upwardly'into the front stretches of rising travel, a corresponding arrangement is provided, by the addition of a supplemental or guard rail 56y-58y-52y; this however being inverted relatively to the top guard rail and placed at the right rather than the left side, opposite to the lower left sprocket wheel, thereby to govern as before described the transition travel of the idler shoe, being the lower shoe 22' at the righthand side of the car. The disposition of the three stretches of the lower righthand guard rail and their operation being the same as described in connection with the guard rail at the upper left part of the system it is believed to be unnecessary to repeat the description thereof.

In review, at both top and bottom of the system, owing to the described diagonal or staggered arrangement of the driver shoes of the car, and of the idler shoes, the operation occurs that one driver shoe and one opposite idler shoe travel to the extreme top, and correspondingly to the extreme bottom, of the orbit of travel. This permits the control of the car to be supplemented, during each transition period, at top and bottom, by the supplemental or guard rail devices adjacent respectively to the upper and lower portions of the travel of the idler shoes, thus bridging over a minor extent of travel at these points not otherwiseunder complete control. At the top, for example, this guard rail at the left side in cooperation with the guiding function of the sprocket wheel 92 at the right side, near the top of the travel of the upper shoes of the car, affords the desired prevention of swing or fore-and-aft play of the upper end of the car; while at its lower end the car is under complete control by reason of the guiding function of the sprocket wheel 82 around which the lower left driver shoe 22 travels adjacent to the arcuate inner guide rail stretch 54. At the bottom of the orbit the stabilizing action is on the same principles.

This leaves for description the driving system for the car-train, comprising sprocket or analogous chains, belts or cables, passing over top and bottom curved guide means shown in the form of rotatable pulleys or sprocket wheels, and under intermittent or occasional power drive; and supplemented for the guidance of each car and prevention of sway especially during part of the transition travel around the upper and lower ends of the orbit. Referring to the drawings there are shown a lefthand drive chain and a righthand drive chain 90, each of these chains being preferably of the type comprising cross pins and longitudinal links articulated in sequence and pro-.

viding apertures for engaging the teeth of suitable sprocket wheels. The left chain 80 is seen in Figs. 2, 3, 6 and 7; and this chain has special links or attachments, each comprising the plate 30 already described, and there being four of such special links and plates for the attachment thereto of the lower left driving shoes 22 of the four cars constituting the driven system; the chain 80 thus driving each car from the lower end of the car at its left side. Conversely the righthand chain 90, seen in Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 6 has four special links which comprise attaching plates 30 by which there are attached to the chain the driver shoes 2|, at the upper portion of the righthand side of each car. The power supplied through the gearing 45 is thus applied in the characteristic manner of this invention at diagonally opposite or staggered points of each car, specifically near the lower left corner and near the upper right corner of the car, thus permitting the use of the described system offixed guide rails and guard rails, in a manner to bring about thedescrlbed orbital travel of each ofthe cars under, complete control as to its position and posture throughout its travel.

The drive chains are shown as passingaround upper and lower arcuate chain-guiding means or members, which might be fixedguidesbut preferably are rotatable wheels. Thus, forthe lefthand chain 80 there are shown a low sprocket wheel 8! and a high sprocket wheel 82. In connection with the lower wheel 8| there may be provided as shown in Fig. 2 an adjusting or take-up means 83, for shifting the shaftbearing of the sprocket wheel, for example to keep properly taut" the chain 80. Abearing 84is shown for the upper sprocket wheel 82; which wheel'may be double; having teeth to engage the main chain "and other teeth to engage a drive transmitting chain 85. This transmitting chain 85 may be driven directly from the cross shaft 41 through a sprocket wheel 86 thereon in meshwithxthe chain. Sim-- ilarly the right drive chain 90'is shown passing around a lower sprocket wheel'9l and a double upper wheel 92, with a bearing adjusting device 93 for the shaft of the lower wheel and a bearing 94' for the upper wheel," and with a transmitting chain 95 between the sprocket wheel 92 and'a sprocket ,wheel 96Ton the driving shaft 41. For take-up purposes each lowersprocket' wheel shaft may extend through a verticalslot in the trunk side wall; and the bearing may have a limited degree of up and down-floating movement;

if desired, thus to provide for cases where the car loads may be so heavy aselastically to strain the carrier chains or their upper mountings, the weight of the shaft-bearing-wheel assembly being operative to tauten the lower stretches; and the adjusting screws 91 and maybe used either to determine the range of free movement of the assembly or to take up completely the slack;

The two sprocket chains are matched, being of identical, length and structure, having special links and plates 3U'identically spaced, the chains traveling in fore-and-aft planes and being'so geared from driving shaft that they operate in unison upon the several cars through the lower left shoe and the upper right shoe of each'car, to cause the described orbital travel. Infulfillment of the described operation the righthand sprocket chain is mounted bodily substantially higher than the lefthand chain by a distance equal to the vertical spacing of'the shoes on the car, or rather by the spacing of the boss or stud portions 240f the driver shoes, which bosses'are attached by means'of the bolts 21 and plates 30 to the special or driving links of the respective chains. Such vertical offsetting of the left-and right drive chains and mountings and correspondingly of the driver shoes or points of attachment of the respective chains to each of the cars constitutes an important feature of novelty of the present invention contributing to the steady travel of the cars of a multiple-car dumbwaiter system.

As previously explained, the only possible lack of complete control of the posture of each car in its transition movements between. the front and back stretches of travel, notobviated'by theclescribed supplemental guardrails, is due, for example, to the short gap between the lower end of the guard rail'52ac and thepoint oftangency whereat each uppershoe emerges from its positive guidance in the guide space between the railpair 5l-52; with a similar-condition atthe back; and at the lower end of the orbit, backandfront. While any such displacement or swing of the car would be transitory and usually'scarcely appreciable, it is preferred to eliminate this temporary; condition, especially in view of the possibility that the dumbwaiter system of this invention may be installed upon ships and therefore become subject to some degree ofviolence as a ship may roll or pitch in a storm. it being manifestly desirable that each dumbwaiter car he steadily maintained in its upright postureand'in' true position in the trunk throughout all parts of its orbital travel.

The described small residual possibility of car displacement or swing may be obviated-by utilizing the sprocket chains themselves, generally flexible, by providing supplementalmeans holding the chains rigidly to their paths at the critical points of travel. Each chain ailordspositive guidance to a driver shoe in travel around its arc-path upon the sprocket wheel, and by thefeature to be described, also at theplaceof the gap between each vertical inner 'rail'stretch and the alined guardrail. Thus, taking'for example the righthand chain Sill, as the upperrighthand driver shoe 2| emerges above the junction of the inner rail stretches 52' and 54', the car arrives at a critical point whereat its upper" portion has only unilateral guidance, before the left-- hand idler shoe 2i reaches the supplemental guidance of the guard rail 521'; The plan ofthis part of the invention is tostiffen atthiscritical. point the travel of the righthand chain 99 so that the chain can not flex out of its intended vertical path, wherefor'the chain and stiffeningmeans serve as a positive guide tothe driver 'shoe 2| and therefore to the upper endof thecar:

Such a chainstiflening or confining means'is shown applied to the critical part of the path of the lefthand chain near its lower end, both back and front, and also to the righthand chain near its upper end, both back and front; and such chain confining or guiding means is shown as comprising a pair of rigid plates, strips or bars 88 for the lefthand chain and similar plates 98 forthe righthand chains. Thelocations of these confining devices or chain guide plates are indicated on Figs. 2' and 6, and the detail structure may for examplebe as shown in Fig. 4 wherein therighthand chain 9| is shown as ascending at'the front between a pair of the confiner plates 98, rigidly mountedby bolts I00 and spacer sleeves Hll upon a bracket l flhnounted within the trunk, for example upon' the-outer side of the attaching flange 6| of the vertical front outer guide rail portion 5|.

From Fig. 4 it is clear that although the righthand driver shoe 2 I may rise above the tangency point between inner rail 52" and arcuate rail'Sl', and thereby lose is guidance at its inner side,op,- posite to the vertical guide rail 5|, the fore-and aft displacement or swing of the shoe 2|, and therefore of the upper part of thecar, is prevented by the close confinement andguidanceof the driving chain 90 between the fixodl'y mounted confinerplates 98, along this portionof the travel of the'driver shoe, spanning the rail gap at the upper front part of the orbit. The similar chain guiding members or plates 98 for the upper part of the back stretch perform the same function there-during the car's descent; and at thebottonr of the orbit the corresponding plates"; attbllck and front, perform the guiding function for the left chain 80 to steady the lower end of each car during transition.

The essence of the present invention, in one aspect may be described as comprising the series of cars, each maintained in upright posture-during its described orbital travel, and in combination therewith, the endless drive chains power-driven in unison in fore-and-aft planes at the lateral sides of the car travel path, the car having at one side, e. g., the left side, a low swivel coupling to the first chain and at its second or right side a high swivel coupling to the second chain, such couplings being vertically spaced apart by a predetermined vertical spacing and the second chain being mounted at an elevation higher than the first chain by a corresponding spacing. Such combination of elements broadly serves the purposes of the invention, assuming reasonable tightness of chains and absence of violent disturbing factors; but the supplemental stabilizing means are in any case preferable in order to minimize swing and sway of, each car and its bodily displacement especially in fore-and-aft directions. Two such steadying contrivances have been described, first, the guard rails substantially bridging the minor extent of partial uncontrol of one end of each car near each end of its orbit, and second, the means for confining certain lengths of chain near the critical parts of car travel, thereby to overcome the natural flexibility or looseness ofthe chains and to render them operative as guide means to preserve the proper car posture and travel against undue displacement or swing. Either one of these two supplemental contrivances may serve the desired stabilizing purposes without the other, under ordinary circumstances, but it is generally preferable to combine both of them with the basic essence of the invention.

In Figs. 12 and 13 is shown a dumbwaiter systern generally similar to that already described but containing a supplemental means or device for further guiding and steadying each car by preventing positively any tilting thereof during its transition travel between the front and rear vertical portions of its path. The new guidance device may be applied additionally to the means already described for minimizing sway and swing of car durin travel around the upper and lower ends of its'orbit.

Thi modified device is characterized by what may be termed guide wheels or gears in the nature of sprocket wheels, so located near the upper and lower stretches of travel as to be engaged by projecting studs or shoes on each car, preferably by the stud portions 24 of the idler shoes 2| and 22', these guide wheels having peripheral spurs or cogs forming recesses between them adapted to receive the car shoes or studs, preferably cylindrical instead of flattened, and each guide wheel, sun gear or sprocket being rotated under positive drive and in synchronism with the travel of the drive chains and cars. Thereby during its transition each car receives positive support and guidance near its upper left corner and its lower right corner, this action insuring steady and uniform fore-and-aft travel, preventive of swing and sway.

22 of each car. Near the lower end of the system is a similar left guide wheel I08 the recesses of which are engageable by the upper left idler shoe 2|; while at the right side is a fourth guide wheel I09 cooperating with the lower right idler shoe 22'.

The several guide wheels I06 to I09 may be alike, each formed with a series of peripheral recesses III produced by projecting spurs or cogs I I2; each recess bein rounded at its base to conform with the cylindrical shape of the car shoe studs, and outwardly flared to facilitate the entry of each stud into its recess. The several guide wheels must be of proper dimensions and correct spacing of recesses. The pitch diameter and circle of each guide wheel may be considered as determined by the position of the axis of the shoe stud when engaged in the wheel recess; and such pitch circle should coincide with the path of the shoes as they travel around at the top or bottom of their orbit. In other words the pitch diameter of the guide wheels should agree with that of the sprocket Wheels 8|, 82, 9| and 92, and with the spacing between the front and rear vertical paths of the car shoes in their vertical stretches of travel. Further, the spacing of the guide wheel spurs and recesses around the pitch circle of each guide wheel should be such as to provide recesses at circumferential points corresponding with the spacin of the cars around their travel orbit, so that each shoe stud will enter its designated wheel recess smoothly and accurately as each car enters its transition travel around the top or bottom of the orbit from the front to the rear side or vice versa; each stud thus traveling around through 180 while firmly guided and held by the guide wheel against any frontward or backward swinging or departure from a uniform and steady travel between front and back stretches. Each guide wheel is shown as having fifteen recesses around its pitch circle, but this is merely an example; and indeed with suitable calculation of the spacing of the cars in relation to the travel of the carrier chains, it may be arranged so that only a sin le one, or only a few, of the recesses II I are operatively engaged by car shoe studs, in which case the remaining recesses of the guide wheel could be omitted, although the full quota is preferable and simplifies the construction and assembling of the system.

To complete the mechanical description of the modification of Figs. 12 and 13, it will be observed that in comparison with Figs. 1 and 2 the car shoes have been relatively lengthened, or

the cars relatively narrowed, thus to provide fiat spaces between the lefthand and righthand sides of the car respectively, and the adjacent fixed guide means or rails; the four guide wheels being accommodated in such enlarged spaces, across which the shoe studs extend between the car and guide rails.

It remains only to describe the driving of the four guide wheels in synchronism with the travel of the drive chains and cars. At the upper end of the system the guide wheel I06 at the left is shown as driven by a sprocket chain H4 from the shaft of the sprocket Wheel 82, said sprocket chain engaging sprocket wheels on said shaft and on the shaft of the guide wheel, with a ratio of one to one throughout. The righthand guide wheel IiI'I is' driven by reason of being carried on a short shaft which carries also a sprocket wheel I Hi engaging and driven by the main drive chain 90. At the bottom end of the system the lefthand guide wheel I08 is driven similarly to tb guide Wheel .Hl'Lcby means ofa sprocket wheel H18 directly driven by the main drive chain '80. Finally, the lower righthand guide wheel I09 is driven similarly :to the guide whml I06, by means oils-sprocket chain H1 connecting equal sprocket wheels on the shafts of sprocket wheel Bi and guide wheel M9 respectively.

The operation of the modification of Figs. 12 and 13 may be further explained by considering first the condition of the lowest dumbwaiter car 15, shown in Fig. 13 at the bottom its travel, which position is represented in Fig. 12 by the car shoestuds 2 l andZZ'. In this position and throughout the lower arc-path of travel the car ancl shoes are without full control and guidsnceby the fixed guide rails, so that without suitable provision the car might tend to tilt or swing out of its true vertical or longitudinal position. This is partly corrected by the fact that the driver shoes 2| and 22 are connected to their drivechains and 80, which chains during such are travel are engaged snugly on their sprocket wheels 8| and Si, and thus give adequate guidance to the upper right and lower left corners of the car, but still leaving room for diagonal tilting if the upper left and lower right corners are without control. A partial cure is afforded by the interior guard rail 52y, 5411, 56y, but still the car might somewhat tilt if the upper left and lower right shoes have no support or control against frontward and backward play. Such control or restraint is afforded by'the lower left guide wheel I08 and lower right guide wheel N73, with certain recesses of which the car shoe studs 21 andZZ are engaged, in a manner clear from the engagement seen in Fig. 12 between the guide wheel I09 and the shoe stud 22'. This arrangement therefore aii'ords full control against undue play along the diagonal extending from the upper left to the lower right corner of the car; and thus all four corners are under full guidance and control throughout the transition travel of the car between its front and back stretches of travel. As'the low car comes around to the front, through an are which terminates tangently to the vertical stretch of path between the inner and outer guide rails, the lower right shoe stud 22' may leave engagement with its guide wheel I09 as it enters guidance between rails i and 521/. At the same time the upper lett stud 2| leaving engagement with its guide wheel I08 enters guidance between rails 5| and 52. From this point upward the car travels under full guiding control of the fixed guide rails, remaining so until reaching the top end of its orbit of travel when the described operations take place in reverse manner with the aid of the guide wheels I06 and llll; each car shoe stud during each transition passing around an arc path of 180 in engagement with and under control either by a drive chain engaged on a driving sprocket wheel 01' by a recessed guide wheel turning synchronously therewith. For complete coordination of the drive chains and sprocket wheels with the guide wheels the latter may have say recesses to teeth on the sprocket wheels, as shown.

A multiplewar dumbwaiter system having thus boen described embodying the principles of the present invention it is to-beunderstood that many matters of operation, combination, arrangement, construction and detail may be variously modifled without departing from the principles involved, and that the invention is not intended to lib be limited to such mattersexcept to the extent set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

A multiple-car dumbwaiter system having cars adapted to travel in upright posture around an endless orbit, each car having at its left and right lateral sides upper and lower shoes with a definite vertical spacing therebetween; interconnected left and right endless drive chains fitted to travel in substantially fore-and-aft planes arcuately around upper and lower chain guides and therebetween along front and back stretches of vertical travel path; a diagonally opposite lower left and upper right pair of said shoes on each car being driver shoes coupled respectively to the left and right drive chains, the other diagonal pair of said shoes being idlers, and the drive chains being relatively offset with the chain at the right higher than that at the left by a distance corresponding to the vertical spacing 'between the driver shoes; and fixed trackage for guiding each car by its guide shoes as thecar'ln upright posture is caused to travel around the orbit determined by the path of the'drive chains, comprising .at each lateral side, left and right, a pair of inner and outer spaced rails each with irontand back vertical stretchesan'd with arouate connecting stretchesabove and below, the=car guide shoes each having a boss traveling in the guidespaoe of said rail-pair [or front and back guidance of the car and a plate traveling along the edges of the rails for lett and right guidanw, and the outer railat each side extendingbeyond the inner rail both upwardly and downwardly by a distance corresponding with the vertical spacin between the driver shoes, and the arcuate rail stretches being similarly spaced vertically apart; and in the vertical space between the upper two arcuate stretches at the left side an inher guard rail comprising opposite inner and outer vertical stretches and a connecting arcuate stretch and adapted to cooperate with the outer guide rail in the guidance of the upper left idler car shoe thereby to steady the car uppe portion in its travel period while the two upper shoes are above the tops of the inner guide rail vertical stretches; the vertical stretches of said inner upper guard rail at their lower ends terminating short of the upper terminations of the vertical stretches of the inner left guide rails, leaving a gap for the arcuate passage of the lower left-driver guide shoe; and ate. place'corresponding with such gapthe rightdrivechain being provided withconfiner plates operable to'prevent deflection of such chain, whereby the chain there operates as a positive guide holding the upper right driver guide shoe and thereby the car upper end to its orbit.

2. A multiple-car dumbwaiter system havingcars adapted to travel in upright posture around an endless orbit, each car having at its left and right lateral sides upper and lower shoes with a definite vertical spacing therebetween; interconnected left and right endless drive chains fitted to travel in substantially fore-'and-ait planes arcuately around upper and lower chain guides and therebetween along front-and back stretches of vertical travel path; a diagonally opposite lower left and upper right pair of said shoes on each car being driver shoescoupled respectively to the leftand right drive-chains, the other d 8- onal pair of said shoes being idlers, and the drive chains being relatively offset with the chain at the right higher than that at the left by a distance corresponding to the vertical spacing between the driver shoes; and fixed trackage for guiding each car by its guide shoes as the car in upright posture, is caused to travel around the orbit determined by thepaths of the drive chains, comprising at each lateral side, left and right, a pair of inner and outer spaced rails each with front and back vertical stretches and with arcuate connecting stretches above and below, the

car guide shoes each having a boss traveling inthe guide space of said rail-pair for front and back guidance of the car and a plate traveling along the edges of the rails for left and right guidance, and the outer rail at each side extending beyond the inner rail both upwardly and downwardly by a'distance corresponding with the vertical spacing between, the driver shoes, and the arcuate rail stretches being similarl spaced vertically apart; and the righthand guide chain, at the upper part of the orbit, above the level of the upper terminations of the straight vertical stretches of the inner guide rail, being a place whereat the car upper shoes have outer but lack inner guidance, being provided with a fixed confining means holding the chain at such place against substantial front or back deflection, thereby to steady the upper right driver shoe and car upper end.

3. A dumbwaiter system as in claim 2 and wherein the chain confining means comprise at the front a confiner plate preventing back defiection of the chain, and at the rear a confiner plate preventing front deflection thereof.

4. A dumbwaiter system wherein each car travels around a closed orbit having two vertical stretches connected by upper and lower arcuate connecting stretches and comprising, in combination with trackage means for guiding the car in upright posture during its orbital travel, a pair of matched endless drive chains, power driven in unison in fore-and-aft planes at the respective left and right lateral sides of the car travel path, the car having at its lefthand side near its low end a swivel coupling to the left chain and at its righthand side near its high end a swivel coupling to the right chain, such couplings being vertically spaced apart by a predetermined vertical spacing and the right chain being mounted in a position higher than the left chain by a corresponding spacing, whereby the car throughout its travel is driven from both ends and from both sides, and thus receives steadying support from the drive chains, against displacement or swing of either end of the car; the right chain having fixed members between which it travels and confining it against front and back deflection at the upper part of its front and back stretches and the left chain having fixed members confining it I against front and back deflection at the lower part of its front and back stretches.

LE ROY H. KIESLING. 

